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Forest context

Kenya encompasses a diverse range of forest and landscape ecosystems, including tropical moist and dry forests, savannas, shrublands, semi-arid zones, inland wetlands and coastal marine habitats. These ecosystems support biodiversity, water regulation, livelihoods, and climate resilience. Forest and land-use dynamics are shaped by agricultural and pastoral systems linked to coffee, tea, timber and livestock production. Kenya’s forest cover stood at 8.83% in 2021, with an estimated deforestation rate of around 103,000 hectares per year from 2002-2018, although there has been a net gain since 2010 due to government interventions. Deforestation in Kenya is primarily driven by agriculture, with mining, livestock grazing, charcoal production and logging also playing a role. To address this, Kenya is prioritising forest restoration and enhancing transparency in forest governance by involving local communities in decision-making processes through participatory forest management practices. 

Our approach

EFI works in Kenya to support transparent and traceable commodity supply chains, smallholder inclusion, and deforestation-free production, with a focus on the coffee sector. Our approach is centred on technical assistance, analysis and multi-stakeholder engagement, supporting the use of spatial data and risk-assessment tools to inform decision-making.

EFI collaborates with public institutions, producer organisations and cooperatives, civil society, and private sector actors involved in the Kenyan coffee sector in the following areas:

  • Traceability – support the Coffee Directorate in improving the geolocation data for coffee plots; develop a National Coffee Information System for better data governance; and pilot farmer-focused traceability solutions.
  • Deforestation-free production – support the development of a coffee map, allowing farmers, cooperatives, and exporters to analyse the risk of deforestation around coffee production area.
  • Engagement – facilitate exchanges with cooperatives, the private sector, and other supply chain actors to share information, lessons, and insights.  

Projects in Kenya